Sweet Surrender Sands of Time
by AstroVixen
Summary: SakuGa pairing with SasuSaku. So it's been awhile, ne? Well, you'll be happy to know that I set up the story up for the next 10 chaps, with all but chaps 4,5,6 written. After I write those, expect an update. i.e. I am finishing off the rewrite and resumin
1. The Beginning Seeds

This is a revised repost on September 08, 2004.

A/N: I need only say this once; I do not own the characters of Naruto. Also, please do not plagiarize my work or post it somewhere. If you ask me, I may give you permission to post this fic on your website if certain conditions are met.

For some reason (which is that I LOVE Gaara) I became infatuated with the Sakura/Gaara (**Sakuga**) idea of a pairing because well, he could go with other women (or men (but this isn't a yaoi fic (not that I am opposed to those)) but I find Sakura to be the most plausible. There really isn't a girl that I think goes well with Gaara other than Sakura, but it's a tricky one to stay in the realm of Naruto (without going OOC or OOS). Let's see how this one goes!

I tend to switch p-o-v as I feel like it (I can get into other character's heads better and present what they feel, think, etc. more actively than I can from my 'Godly' perspective) and I forget what tense that I am in sometimes – please bear with it – this is just for fun after all! My enjoyment and yours ;

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**Please review!**

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This picks up from episode 77-80 of the anime, so there may be spoilers for you if you haven't seen that far or read that far in the manga (the author would like to point out that eps 77-79 are some of the best Naruto episodes ever, and most anticipated after the author read the corresponding chapters)

**Sweet Surrender – Sands of Time **

**Chapter One - The Beginning Seeds**

_This has to be my most exciting fight ever. Never before have I, Gaara, been this challenged, or used this much chakra to defeat another ninja before. This Uzumaki Naruto is one interesting character indeed. And it seems that I have underestimated him. I waited to duel Uchiha Sasuke, but he didn't even break all the way through my impregnable fortress defense of sand. But this ninja, that I am facing now, he has forced me to use another one of my forms. He says that strength comes from protecting your comrades... That is nothing compared to the brute force that I possess..._

"Naruto… you amuse me to no end… all this effort to save a girl… or is it that she is just a comrade…" _I want to push him over the edge and make him lose his sanity._ Gaara was mocking his opponent little by little, and his opponent's increased force against him let him know that his strategy was working.

_"Sakura, get away from here – it is dangerous for you to stay---"_

_"Sasuke-kun, I will not run away. It is my duty as your teammate to protect you. You're hurt and that cursed seal-" _

_"Sakura! I said get away from here!"_

_"I am not going anywhere!"_

Gaara's head started to ache remembering how that girl stood up to him for the Uchiha, the Uchiha that was his prey… his kill… She stared at him, unwavering but shaking, fearful, but showing no fear. She had eyes as green as his… so alike… but so very different…

_Standing before me, she reminds me of the past-_

_"Yashumaru, what is pain?"_

_"Yashumaru, what is love?"_

_"Yashumaru, why did you try to kill me?"_

_"Because it was an order from Kazekage-sama, though if I had wanted to, I could have refused."_

_"But why?"_

_"Because I never got over what happened to my sister..."_

_Love_... **_AHHHHHH!_**_ My head! I have to control it! Strength does not come from protecting others! Strength comes from yourself! I killed my mother and Yashumaru blew himself up because of me! That day I marked myself with a promise to only love myself and live only for myself. Love – for others doesn't mean anything when it comes to strength. I wasn't born to love or to be loved. I was born to kill. That is my answer. My strength is for me and me alone. I will prove it and my reason for existing on this day!_

_"I'll show you what becomes of those who think that they are strong when they protect others. You will never protect another 'comrade' again!"_

The unloved ninja showed her what came of protecting 'special, important people'. Gaara slammed her into a tree trunk and sealed her there with his sand, killing her softly… as the sand he controlled tightened around her pinned body, suffocating her and crushing her insides.

As much as he loved killing, he liked to kill women and men differently. Protecting her 'important' comrade, she chose to give her life. She would not live unless he, Gaara of the Desert, the most feared shinobi in at least the Village of Sand, was defeated. He walked out of the second chunnin test in no time, unscathed, clean – without as much as a scratch to even his visage. Gaara only saw the blood of others, never the blood of his own.

_As if I, Gaara of the Desert could ever be defeated by someone who only fought to protect!_

_The sand is my slave and my protector. The sand is my mother who I was fed as nutrition and who I feed in order to keep the peace. My sand prefers the clean, pure blood of a life, and the blood of that pink-haired ninja is for sure clean and pure, just like my mother's... Only my sand can kill so perfectly, squeezing the life out of a person in an instant, sending them in a desert coffin to a desert funeral to the afterlife, IF there is an afterlife… even if there is, it doesn't matter to me anyway for my mind and what is left of my soul will be devoured by Shukaku._

The sand whispered to him the condition of that girl; her heartbeats, her panted breaths, her level of consciousness, and the word that she uttered so passionately… "Sasuke-kun"…

_Uchiha... Sasuke_! With every second of this battle that Naruto was losing passed, 'that girl' was closer and closer to death and not even Uchiha Sasuke could save her. Ah, how the trio of comrades would soon surrender to their fate... surrender to fate… _surrender..._

_Fate..._ "Naruto! Accept your fate! This battle is your loss! My sand will crush your girl comrade to death and after I defeat you I will finish off that Uchiha who I thought had more power and potential than you, how very disappointing it was to find out how lacking he is..."

"Shut up! Don't talk to me about fate and tell me that this battle has been lost. I am just getting started!" Naruto was more fired up than he was before. The fate of himself and his two comrades was riding on his shoulders. Did he have what it would take to defeat Gaara? Could he surpass Sasuke who he had been seeking approval from? One thing Naruto did know for sure was that he did not have time to second-guess himself, not now.

_Soon – soon – I can affirm my existence… thrice!_ _My eyes are hungry with anticipation and need, my bloodlust is strong..._ _One affirmation of existence will be from the death of this outcast Naruto, another from the death of the Uchiha, and a bonus from the girl that the Uchiha called "Sakura" and Naruto protects, calling her "Sakura-chan."_

"What? What the hell are all of these clones?" Gaara was surprised. _Well, no matter, one clone or a hundred clones, a clone is a clone!_ "**Take this!**" The sand-demon-possessed boy known as Gaara of the Desert started taking out clone by clone with his sand shuriken at a furious speed, showing that he earned the moniker of _akuma_.

All throughout the attacks that were being traded between Naruto and himself, Gaara's consciousness was acutely aware of the developments in the battle, his condition, and in the girl, _Sakura_. He could still sense her heartbeat causing the sand to rise and fall if only ever so slightly. Her breathing was becoming more and more terse… drawn out... She no longer was able to vocalize that Uchiha's name… Soon – soon – she would be silent completely just like everyone else who fought and died because all they did it for was to protect. His head began to ache more and more, something was not right in Gaara's domain, something was out of place… Time was running out for Naruto to save his one-sided love…

"Hidden Leaf Ancient Taijutsu Supreme Technique- 1000 Years of Pain!"

_What? When did he get behind me to do that? I underestimated him. It seems that I will have to concentrate more on this fight to destroy him_. "I don't think so! Aaaaaah! How does it feel to be slammed away into a tree?!" _His body won't be able to stand that impact... What?_ As the dirt cleared from the air, Gaara could see Naruto in Sasuke's arms. _He protected him in that state? What is going on here?_

BOOM! "Argh! How did he know to aim for my ass?! Ah, Naruto! How enjoyable this will be to defeat you! I thought that you weren't worth killing before I saw your win over that Hyuuga boy. You even forced me to use this advanced second form. Ha aha ha aha ha! I must commend you for making me feel pain!"

"Naruto- get Sakura and make a run for it. I will do my best to hold him off here." Sasuke was serious.

"No. This is my turn to protect you. I see that I have to be more serious." Naruto figured that his best chance now was to summon Gamabunta. He just hoped that he had enough chakra to do so. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" **_Poof!_**

"Aaaaaah! Why are you here?"

"I wanted to come out to play." Naruto sighed.

"Wha? Ah shit! He's already attacking again?" Naruto grabbed up Gamakichi. "We need to dodge!" Naruto began evading Gaara's attacks through the trees.

"Ahhhh... I need to attack. Yosh-! Ninpocho Naruto! Mass Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" In an instant the forest was covered with a mass of Narutos.

"What is with this number of clones? No matter. There is only one real Naruto. Sand Shuriken!"

"Naruto Rendan!"

"What?" Gaara's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the mass of clones heading his way.

"U" The clones kicked Gaara's transformed form from all directions underneath him.

"Argh!" _What in the hell is this? A pumped up version of the move he used in the preliminaries!?_

"ZU" The clones kicked Gaara again from all sides, increasing the pressure at an increasing rate.

"Damnit!" _He is faster and more agile than I am when I am in this form!_

"MA" An uncountable number of sandaled feet slammed into him at such a rate that his armor of sand was having trouble keeping up.

"I'll get him for this..." _This kind of full frontal assault... _

"KI!" The clones slammed Gaara's body towards the forest floor from above, pounding down on him harder than the rain that was to come. Gaara hit the ground with a thud and dust from the kicked up dirt filled the air.

"I'm not done yet! Yonnen Rendan!" Not even the addition of punches to kicks to Naruto's taijutsu was able to put down Gaara for good, or at least a little while. Instead, they caused a worse outcome.

"What is that!?" Sasuke's eyes showed fear.

"Wha? Is this the demon that is inside of him? Can I even compare to that?"

"Naruto! I commend you for making me use my third and final form. It is my gift to you! Now! Face your fate and die by my hands! **DESERT COFFIN**!" Gaara's sand began to surround Naruto, swirling around him, covering him from head to toe. _To make me use this form and the desert coffin, ah, Naruto, you amused me to this end!_

However, the desert coffin was not the end for Naruto. From within the sand came Naruto's last hope for survival and victory to save his companions. With the little hand space that he had left, Naruto began performing the hand seals for summoning. "**KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!**" **_POOF!_** This time, he had succeeded in summoning Gamabunta.

After a time, Gaara slowly emerged through the sand of Shukaku enjoying his ascent to the outside. "Naruto! I will give you a reward for lasting this long. _Tanuki__ Neiri no_ _Jutsu_!" Gaara's head glided forward to face down, eyes closed and Shukaku came out to play.

The battle that began between the titans raged on, neither side wanting to budge. The forest was covered in water and partially plowed down from all the attacks that each side released. In spite of the thunder and lightning that crashed between the forces, the sky remained blue and the air remained calm.

_Why was it that when I am actually sleeping for a change, my mind is still not at rest? Why was it that I am feeling something more than anger and irritation; more than the will to exist and prove my existence? Why can't I put my finger on what that is? Why was it that I was reminded of Yashumaru that protected others from me, but not me from others? Why did father keep trying to kill me… Why did Yashumaru try to assassinate me… Why did my mother curse me… Why do Temari and Kankuro fear me when they were supposed to be allies, my sibling? Did Naruto and Sakura fear Uchiha Sasuke??? _

_"There is only one thing that can heal the pain your heart feels, Gaara-sama. That is love from another person."_

_"What is love?"_

_I have to love only myself, live only for myself, survive for my sake. That is my mission as long as I live, right mother? Isn't that the destiny that I have been chained to? Aren't I the one who is never supposed to be loved?_

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"_Gaara's mind couldn't handle the questions that he couldn't stop asking himself. _Monster… Monster… Monster… I'M A MONSTER! _He couldn't keep from splitting his mind open in agony. It had to be the Shukaku incarnation that was doing this to his mind… taking more and more of Gaara's self away from him… Seizing the opportunity to take over more and more of Gaara's mind and body the Shukaku would torment him for the rest of his life in his own desert coffin…

Gaara summoned what little capacity he had left for mental strength and rationalized his situation. _I do not need to be protected… I am feared, not fearful, I am self-sufficient… I protect myself… the sand protects me…_ _to an extent Shukaku that dwells within my body and permeates my mind protects me as a host and grants me insanity more and more every day…_ _My strength comes from the need to rely on myself and only myself, never trusting anyone –_ That was the way of nature and the rule of man – to live and die for oneself… Others were an accessory – _I am always alone – always, always alone._ This could only lead him to one conclusion - Gaara only needed himself…

The nine-tails combination transformation was proving to turn the tide in the battle. The tanuki was becoming worn down even though he had just been released because of the great amount of chakra it had to use in order to use its attacks. The excited funky speech of Shukaku when it was first released was relegated to finite threats.

The claws and fangs of the transformed Gamabunta were effective in subduing Shukaku… at least for a little while… and a little while was all that Naruto had needed to punch Gaara in the face and wake him up from his fake sleep. That is just what Naruto did. He punched Gaara in the face, dispelling his fake sleep and putting Shukaku out of commission. Golden eyes faded to a dull green and bright, clear green eyes surrounded by sleepless circles shot open.

_"And you had just let me out to play, Boy-"_

_Shut up._

Naruto and Gaara, both almost out of chakra had to finish their epic, grand battle not with jutsus, but with bare fists. Shukaku taunted Gaara from deep within his consciousness and the nine-tails would not lend Naruto any more of his chakra. The two demons needed these hosts and still they would not relegate, probably from being too low on reserves themselves.

When Gamabunta's sword disappeared, the two boys lunged at one another with their fists; colliding, they fell to the hard ground. Gaara lay on the forest floor immobilized and Naruto, after regaining what little bearings remained, made his way like a broken snake across the dirt.

"Stay away from me! Don't come closer!" Gaara warned Naruto to stay where he was. Gaara may not be able to move his body, but the sand was another body entirely.

"I will defeat you..." Naruto looked Gaara dead in the eyes and the sand ninja, for the first time in his life, from a being other than the demon inside of him, was beginning to fear the one inching towards him who harnessed a power that he could not understand. He had said that they were alike, but how alike could they be? _He and Naruto are two different people, their raison d'etre, their reasons for fighting were too different... _

"Hey… You… - why can you sleep with a monster inside of you?" Gaara called out to the Kyubi cage.

"Because I am not a monster-" Naruto paused to catch his breath.

"Ah… Is that so…" Gaara felt another pang to his heart. _No one would ever see me as anything less than a monster._

"...like you." Gaara's face turned away.

Naruto felt a small bit of guilt for saying something that harsh to someone who had the same problems of being alone and rejected; an outcast growing up. He was able to be the way he was because he had people that accepted him, and acknowledged his existence. The sand shinobi could only get that by proving his strength. Gaara was born to fight... _Our lives are just too different in spite of how similar they are..._

Naruto added, "Maybe the way the demons were sealed inside of us is different. Maybe it's because the demons are different. I don't think about that since the nine-tails doesn't bother me, and gives me chakra when I really need it."

"You're lucky… you can sleep at night." Naruto looked at Gaara, eyes downcast and then turned serious.

"Hey – release Sakura-chan, you need to use chakra to keep her there, don't you? Divert that chakra to killing me. I said that I'd give my life to protect my important comrades. A man's word is as important as the man's life itself. If I don't have the strength left to kill you here then I have failed."

"Your word, is it---" Gaara looked up at the sky; a bird flew out of his range of sight as soon as he had detected it and the clouds were passing slowly. _What must it be like to be free like that? Free with nothing of earth binding you to its soil…or sand... I can't even decide to die!_ Gaara of the Desert laughed bitterly to himself…

Gaara could sense that that girl, Sakura, was approaching the state after unconsciousness. She would die in a few minutes from suffocation at the rate his sand was crushing her. Gaara exhaled, her death would mean nothing now. The joy he got from killing came from killing those who thought they could kill him, and killing those who have great strength. He would have killed that blond cage a while back if he had known then that his strength was… Gaara released the chakra hold he had on the sand that held his opponent's comrade and called the sand towards him and then directed it at Naruto.

"Now I am going to finish you with this last bit of chakra I have left-" Gaara turned his head to face Naruto eye to eye.

"As long as Sakura-chan and Sasuke are okay, then I can deal with losing since I said I would stake my life on their survival, and if I gave up now, what kind of shinobi would I be?" Naruto let out a small laugh. "I really didn't think my life would end this way though." Naruto turned to face the sky. "There sure is nice weather…"

"You won't fight me? Fight me with the last remaining strength that you have and then lose since I am superior to you!" Gaara was getting more and more aggravated by the moment, evident in his pitch.

"I don't have the chakra left to fight. I can't even move my body anymore."

"Mou…e…mou…e…." Gaara closed his eyes…

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"Sakura! Sakura! Get a hold of yourself! Oy! Sakura!" Sasuke held Sakura in his arms after he caught her from her freefall due to the sand's dissipation. Sakura started to breathe a little more fully and hr eyes flickered to a half-open state.

"I'm glad you are okay, Sasuke-kun-"

"Oy! Sakura – you idiot – facing that Gaara like that! What were you thinking? You could'v-"

"But I didn't die, you saved me…"

"Sakura, you risked your life to save me, but Naruto risked his life to save yours. Naruto protected us all."

"Naruto? Naruto? He risked his life to save me?"

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"Yo! Gaara!" Temari and Kankuro came into the clearing with the two boys drained of all power. "Gaara – can you stand? We have to get out of here."

"Temari – you're still here? I would have thought that you would have evacuated at the sight of my second form…" Temari didn't respond to Gaara, although she had evacuated, she returned when the dust had settled. "Kankuro, you too..."

"Gaara…" Temari looked saddened by the ai-marked shinobi's state. Kankuro was shocked that his brother was even in this condition.

"Mou...e..." Gaara's voice trailed off.

"Gaara?"

"Whatever, I am too tired to think about anything anymore."

_Gaara… I've never seen you like this… you're acting almost…hu-_ She cut her thoughts short.

"We have to go and regroup with the rest of the teams." Kankuro, shaken at his teammate's weakened state, picked up Gaara and with Temari ran through the trees, from branch to branch, faster than they should have been able to considering their injuries and the additional weight that Gaara added. Not that Gaara was heavy, but all that sand in that gourd…

"Temari... Kankuro... I'm sorry..." His comrades, surprised kept moving through the forest.

"Don't worry about it."

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Naruto lied on the grass remembering Gaara's last words to him. "I spared the girl's life for now – but I will return to finish what I started – you will not be able to run from me…" Those last words worried him.

"Shit!!!" Naruto kicked his weak foot against what was left of the forest floor. "Why does he have to pick on Sakura? She didn't even make it to the last part of the chunnin exam…"

"Shit! Why couldn't I have just finished him when I had the chance?! Shit! Shit! Shit!" All Naruto could do to keep from screaming and scaring all the creatures from the forest was to continually pound his fist against the ground and curse his own shortfalls and weakness.

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"Yo! Naruto! I finally found you." Sasuke approached Naruto a little out of breath.

"Sasuke, I couldn't defeat him. In the end, I couldn't defeat him!" Naruto's hot tears were creating mud at the base of his face. "Shit!" He pounded the ground even further until he remembered about Gaara's promise about Sakura. Eagerly he turned towards Sasuke. "How's Sakura-chan?"

"She's fine. More importantly, you are in worse condition..." Naruto's eyes closed and fell into a deep sleep knowing that he had saved his important comrade and first love. Sasuke took him back to where Sakura and Pacchun were waiting.

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_Trust, was it? Strength from protecting others? Love... I will probably never know these things, even if it would be nice... _Gaara fell into a real sleep.

I have not forgotten that day in Konoha when my greatest battle with the Kyuubi-cage ended in a stalemate. Six years ago, that day was etched into my conscience, and six years ago Sand re-allied with the Leaf. Since five years ago I have been living in Konoha, though my residence in Sand is still empty and desolate, unkempt, waiting for my eventual return. I have not forgotten my, _forged roots_, nor have I forgotten the village whose forehead protector I wear. _There is just more for me in Konoha... _

Six years ago I was lectured by my siblings that I needed to mellow out – if I killed any Leaf ninjas, especially, then the then new re-alliance between Sand and Leaf would be destroyed. More wars would ensue. More ninjas would die. More families would be broken. I was told to think of others' circumstances, and disregard my own. It didn't matter to me if there was war or if there wasn't war. Life was all the same. People died no matter how they lived, with strength or with nothing, with honor or with fear.

Then again, I say that, as I am living, and as I have took countless lives from this earth.

My promise not to kill them, hence reneging on my promise from years ago to the sand and to myself, did not want to make me fight them any less, I just needed to postpone my overwhelming desire to kill them… until a more opportune time would arise for me to do so. I had wanted to suffocate the life out of one Sakura Haruno as well... _had wanted to... aah..._

In spite of all the missions Temari, Kankuro and I have collaborated on with the Leaf shinobi, in spite of all the times I had to work side by side with Naruto and Sasuke during missions, in spite of all the effort it sometimes took to restrain my sand, nothing changed, _well… except for one thing…_

Sakura. Her presence embedded on me from that day through my sand has never left my memory. Her green eyes that bore into my soul from that day when she defended Uchiha Sasuke… that pink hair that reminded me of pastel blood…. Her determination... her _love_...

No matter where my mind strays, it always returns to her. I can't leave her alone. I never let her know of my presence around her or my surveillance of her, and no one else is the wiser either. I have always been watching her from that day.

I watched her pain five years ago when Sasuke knocked her out and left the village to go to Orochimaru. She confessed her feelings for him and all he could say was "thank you."

I watched her worry over Sasuke's and Naruto's conditions when they got back from missions. I watched her pass the chuunin exam five years ago and rise through the ranks again to become a jounin. One thing bothered me than anything else about her training to increase her strength…

_She wasn't committing herself to be an opponent or match worthy of me..._

She was doing it so she could follow that Uchiha. She cried over some nights knowing that she could never be side by side with him in skill; because no matter how hard she worked, he worked harder and had more innate talent and ability. So she decided tearfully, with determination to be happy being a few paces back, as long as it was his back that she was behind. She didn't need to be as skillful as the Uchiha, as long as when he turned around, she was the one that he saw.

_She wanted to be his everything. _

_Does she still? Even now...?_

When Uchiha Sasuke returned to Konoha from his personal mission, successful but near death, she promised him that she would never leave his side. Sakura would heal his scars as long as he needed her. She didn't want to be a nuisance to him. She wanted him to love her again, like she had hoped he had before he left to kill Uchiha Itachi. She wanted to believe that somewhere in Sasuke's heart that he was doing it for her, so he could look to the future instead of gazing at the past. She was a fool forgotten completely by Uchiha Sasuke. A woman like her would never fully understand the need for revenge, how it permeates your entire being, so you live only for that and life's only meaning becomes to satisfy that mission.

_Why did he have to return then?_

When your heart is seeking revenge, it won't seek anything else or warrant the entrance of any other thought. Revenge blinds the eyes by covering up the sun, until you are living in darkness and become accustomed to the life of an avenger.

_That was my life... until I was set free long ago. _

Watching her one-sided love throughout the years had been amusing, and there were moments that only I knew about since I watched her from the shadows… I had the upper hand.

I used my special eye of sand technique and kept it tailing her years. At least that jutsu does not use as much chakra as some of my other ones. When I was in proximity to her, I would send out grains of sand to swirl around her, sensing her breathing, her heartbeat, her body temperature, the moisture on her skin dampening my sand…

Five years ago when I had obtained residency in Konoha, I only concerned myself with her out of a curiosity as a shinobi who would have died by my sand. Four years ago I concerned myself with her because I did not understand why I felt different when she was around me. Three years ago I decided that I did not have time to play around with games and took up residency at my house in the Sand Village again. Two years ago I realized that I, Gaara, missed being in leaf, the village that was more alive than my own, so I returned. One year ago something awakened in me and I became silently, undetectably attached to that girl, Sakura, whose hair matched her name, as my life matched mine.

_I'll never forget that mission..._

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16 pages

I try not to use Japanese in the stories since it sounds out of place (eeeeeeJeeeeeeeeJ), so even though I am thinking in my head the Japanese that the characters would say, I try my best to translate it for you (e.g. Kuso = Shit). However, I left 'mou e" in Japanese (though "mou i" would have been more proper romanization, in English, the e is pronounced the way the romanized "i" is) since I couldn't think of an acceptable equivalent in this context that I liked. I also left some jutsu's in Japanese where it was (at least to me) apparent what the jutsu was.

I have another fic posted on , an InuYasha one. If you like it let me know and I will continue that one as well.

**Lots of reviews make me write more and update more often. :D**

Thanks for reading!

AstroVixen


	2. An Unlikely Pairing

This is a revised repost on September 8, 2004 - Expect more to follow

A/N: Please don't steal! It's illegal and not nice and will make me stop writing and... Gaara will send you to a desert grave. However, if you like this fic enough to want to post it on your website, please ask and I will consider.

**Sweet Surrender -- Sands of Time**

**Chapter Two – An Unlikely Pairing**

"Squak! Squack!" The flapping sound from the wings of the messenger died down as its feet approached the windowsill. Gaara turned his head towards the windowsill, unsure of whether or not it was a message or just a loiterer. The markings indicated the former, and the tiny scroll that was fastened to its leg confirmed it.

"Okay, let me have it." Gaara outstretched his arm and the bird flew towards him, landing on his forearm. He carefully pulled the scroll from the fastener and moved his arm towards the window, signaling to the bird that it could leave. The bird remained.

"What do you want? Eh? You delivered your message, now return!" He made another sweeping motion towards the window. The bird remained.

"Oh I see how it is. If you don't want to leave willingly, you can be forced it leave." Gaara smiled cheshirely, but the bird remained.

"Squwack!!" FLAP FLAP FLAP! The bird motioned its head towards the letter it had delivered.

"What? You want to see that I have read the letter? Are you supposed to take a reply?" Gaara didn't want to believe that he could believe that he was talking to a bird. Was he that lonely for company?

"Fine. Have it your way-"

"Squack!" Gaara's eyes slitted and he unrolled the scroll.

_"The Godaime requests your presence in her office at __three pm__ today. Please acknowledge reciept of this message and intention to attend with your seal. Return the scroll to the messenger after you have stamped it."_

_No wonder the bird was so damn pushy._ Gaara burned his seal into the parchment with his chakra, rolled the scroll back up and replaced it into the holder on the bird's leg. He fastened the holder and then with a sweep of his arm, the bird flew out the window.

Gaara looked outside towards the sun that was nearly overhead. "What is it going to be today?" A deep sigh was heard before he stood up from his comfortable place on the floor. "I guess I might as well get a move on and kill some time on the way over. Come to think of it, I haven't had breakfast or lunch yet."

It was not unusual for the Godaime to request Gaara's presence since he was a powerful shinobi, much more powerful than he was when he came to the Leaf as a genin and a spy to take the chunin exam. Of course his presence was requested more often than not because of his behavior. Although he had not killed any leaf ninja since the re-alliance, he did tend to scare some of the villagers. That, Gaara surmised, was one thing that made him feel at home, since his own villagers were scared of him as well.

_Perhaps I should take a shower before heading over there. That would kill some time, and probably keep the Godaime off my back._ Gaara headed towards the bathroom, but stopped by the bedroom on the way to grab his scarlet towel and disrobe. He wasn't wearing much clothing to begin with since he had just woken up not too long ago. Gaara had not worn a t-shirt to bed, he had just wore a pair of thin, boxers with a slit in the front that exposed what nether regions he had when the angle of incidence was wide enough to allow a glimpse of what it was that he had to offer.

He slid his boxers past his hips and down his thighs, past his calves and onto the floor where he stepped out of them, left foot and then right. He leaned over towards the floor to pick up his discarded undergarment and threw it to the corner of the room where all his other worn clothes, soaked in his essence lay in wait to be washed.

The 'ai' marked Gaara walked from his bedroom to his bathroom. He put the towel next to the sink for when he was done. Stepping into the shower, he reached for the knobs to turn the water on. The water began to come out and he waited for the hot water to begin running. When it was getting too hot for his skin, he adjusted it to be a little warmer and pulled the knob for the shower. There was a small lag between pulling the knob and shower starting, but when it did, the water beat out at a furious rate, raining all over Gaara.

_Ah... this hot water feels good against my muscles. That cramp I had in my back is almost gone between the temperature and my rubbing it. It's a shame that I don't have someone here to do it for me... What? What did I just think?_ "Why is it that I let my mind wonder in the shower?" Gaara groaned.

_I wonder what it would be like to have Sakura in here with me. She could rub my back and work out the kinks in my muscles, that's for sure, knowing all the massages she'd give Sasuke when he was sore from a mission. Would she come into this shower with me, unclothed and offer to wash my back? Would I let her? Would she let me wash hers in return? Wait-_"What the hell am I thinking these thoughts for!?"

Gaara reached for the washcloth and then the soap in order to lather it up. He worked the soap around the washcloth until it was slippery. He backed away from the water that was running over him and began to wash himself, in circular motions from his neck, to his shoulders, reaching around for his back, his chest, down to his legs. The concentration of soap was weak on the washcloth from the area it covered and the water that was diluting it so he reached for the soap again, lathering the cloth. He reached back down to wash his other leg, starting from his ankle and working his way up his calf and past his knee to his thigh. He rinsed the cloth out and left it still dripping wet over the cold water knob.

Gaara reached for the soap and lathered up his hands before returning it yet again to its holder. He brought his hands to his face and closed his eyes, working his fingers in hard strokes from his forehead to the bridge and sides of his nose, his cheeks, and his chin. He moved his face towards the running water and submerged it beneath the pellets washing the soap away from his face and his hands before leaning back and wiping the water away from his eyes to open them.

The Shukaku-cage closed his eyes on rare occasions, taking a shower was one of them. When his eyes were closed he conjured up thoughts of images he wanted to forget, memories he wanted to deny. A demon came for his soul and images of a pastel pink haired girl with eyes as green as his came into his mind. He couldn't seem to shut either of them out of his thoughts and consciousness.

He pictured her smiling and laughing at jokes that Naruto had made. The same Naruto who taught him a lesson that was important enough for him to return to Konoha for. He pictured her when she was crying, sleeping, brow-sweated on a mission. One hand steadied himself against the shower wall, another hand made its to the soap. He turned the soap in his hand, getting a fair amount on his palm. He brought his hand down past his abdomen and onto the proof of his manhood. His only regret was that his memories of her were not with him.

_What if Sakura was in the shower with me right now? Would her breasts caress mine trying to move around in the closed space? Would she take the shampoo and wash my hair?_ The movement of Gaara's hand responded to the images in his mind and moved quickly in succession up and down the length and around the girth given to him. "Uuuuunnnnn..." Gaara's panted breaths moved in cadence with his hand and his knees were getting weak. "Aaaaaaaahh..." _I would turn to face her and she would blush at the sight of me naked in front of her and blush because I was seeing her with nothing on. She reaches her hand out towards me, and touches me with her fingers, and seeing my response she would take me with her hand and _"yeah, just like that... ooooohhhhhhhh.......mmmmmm..."

_"Is that how you want it...?" _

_Yeah, just like that. "Unnn...umm......AAAAAAAHHhhhhnn...." _In a heated fury after vigorous movement from his hand, wrist and arm, Gaara came all over the shower floor, and watched as part of him was washed away down drain, just like the ecchi thoughts that had led him to that point in the first place.

_I haven't released that much in a long time. Man, why all of a sudden. No matter. Now that that is out of my system, I can finish up in here, finish getting ready and leave for the day. _

He washed his hands and reached for the shampoo bottle, squirting out what was left of it onto the same palm that relieved himself. He put his palms together and created lather, and worked the shampoo through his hair. The sand was a savior, quite often, but it was also troublesome to get out of hair. He rinsed his hair out after working all the roots and washed it again until he was sure that all the sand was out. When it was, he finished rinsing his hair and then washed off the rest of the lather with his hands and the running water.

Gaara turned off the water knobs in the shower then shook his head to rid the excess water. He paused, looking at the showerhead that was still releasing a drop of water every few seconds. He knew that it would stop eventually when the pressure that was built up before ran out, just like his urges. He took in deep breaths of steam infused air, letting the relaxing effect coarse through his system. He pulled the curtain to the left side and stepped out onto the bathmat taking his scarlet towel from the side of the sink. The towel was (shortly thereafter the drip drying) deftly wrapped around his torso and covered all the way to six inches above his knees.

He watched the remaining water run down his chest and into the towel, staining it a darker shade of scarlet, the shade of freshly shed blood. He could feel the water racing down his legs at various speeds and sizes onto the scarlet bathmat that mirrored the towel he used. Gaara looked up and saw himself in the mirror and paused, eyeing the image longer than he ever thought necessary. _Why am I bothering with this?_ _Usually I don't even bother glancing into a mirror. Unless I am shaving, of course. I never bother with my appearance. Who have I ever needed to impress, what have I ever needed to impress besides my ability? What is it that is telling me to care today? Appearance isn't important to a ninja... Though I have to admit that some ninja are easier on the eyes than others, and some are swooned over. Uchiha Sasuke is one of those ninjas, it wasn't enough that he had Sakura at his tail, but he also had a third of the eligible girls or more lying in wait for his affection. I don't have any onlookers, especially ones 'brave' enough to approach me on a casual basis. Hell, with eyes like mine I wouldn't want to approach me either if I didn't know what I was getting into._

Gaara's eyes started at the crown of the image reflected before him. Questions and musings aside, he had to notice that his hair was unkempt and croppy- wild and untamed, in the color of rouge like the blood he split of others. Even though it wasn't completely dry yet, it wouldn't look any different when it was. His pale skin looked as though it hadn't ever seen the sun, and his forehead adorned with 'ai' was as prominent as it was the moment he crested it. The mark was the most unusual thing about his appearance, being where it was, and what it stood for barring the man adorned with the promise. He saw the eyes that stared back at him were a clear honest color of light green, similar to a particular kunoichi, and lips that weren't puffy, but full with restrained passion that he recently was made aware of. Gaara eyed the lines of his collarbone and the smoothness of the curves. His line of sight in the mirror trailed along his shoulders and he turned slightly, flexing to see his shoulder blades. His chest was broad and defined, arms that had muscle but weren't mountainous or rippled. Gaara concluded that the figure in front of him was not bad looking. In fact, as far as his body was concerned, he was better built than average. The dark circles that proved as evidence to his turmoil were a contrast to the rest of the silken painting, but over all, the figure wasn't bad looking. _What does Uchiha Sasuke have that I lack?_

Gaara concluded that the figure in front of him was that of a man, regarless of anything else. The figure mirrored for him was he.

_This is me... this is what I look like. Not that I have been oblivious before, I just never took the time to notice before. Tomorrow is the seventeenth anniversary of my cursed existence. That has to be why my mood is the way it is now, why I am thinking about these things. All these, sentimentalities.... _"Hah."Gaara added to the air, "I guess I will travel back to Sand after the meeting this afternoon for my yearly ceremony with a gravestone"_ One of my few wanted sentiments..._

A while later and Gaara was dressed for the day and left his apartment. He went first to the small udon stand nearest to his apartment to have lunch, and by the time he was finished eating, it was already two o'clock. Remembering that he was supposed to be at the godaime's office at three, he did not want to arrive too early, lest he get asked to run some small errand or take care of some problem.

Gaara decided to do a short bit of running around the park that was on the way to the hokage's office building. Jogging to the park he passed by rows of houses and a number of small shops, children that backed away from the direction he was coming from and adults that turned their heads to other matters.

He was almost there. The park was just around the next bend. Keeping his eyes straight forward, not wanting to look to the sides to give other's a reason to turn away, he neared the curve. It was then that one of the worst possible scenarios had happened.

"Itaiiiiiiii!" Sakura yelled out half in shock and half in pain when she hit the ground, her backside first and her back second, with the water that she was drinking now over all her clothes.

_I did not just knock over Haruno, I did not just knock over Haruno, I did not just knock over Haruno... Of all the people, of all the times and of all the situations. And this after I just used her to satisfy my urges... How embarrassing can this be. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to act? I will have to act like I did nothing wrong, that's it – I need to be cool._ These thoughts ran through Gaara's mind a mile a second.

She looked up to see an expressionless shinobi of Sand, though, if she had looked a second earlier, she would have seen a face as red as the hair that framed it and a look of shock, surprise, dread, and fear all rolled into one.

Gaara reached his hand out in a non-chalant gesture to help her to her feet. "Are you alright?" This was asked more calmly than his insides were feeling.

"I am sore, but nothing that won't fade away soon, I hope. My clothes on the other hand," Sakura looked down at her dissappointedly, "took more of a visible beating. I guess it'll be fine since it was just water that was spilled on them, "twisting slightly to brush the back of her outfit off, "and this dirt can just be brushed off." Sakura was miffed to say the least.

"As long as everything is in order." Gaara took back to his accelerated jog. He stopped shortly thereafter when his earlier victim called after him.

"Wait! Gaara! Aren't you forgetting something?" Sakura yelled after him.

Gaara checked to make sure that the belongings he left his apartment with were still with him and they were. "No, I have everything." No sooner did he resume his jog that he heard a very loud "Jerkoff!" resounding after him. _If she only knew the half of it, I'd never be able to step a foot into this place again..._

"What a mean thing to do, bump someone over and then not even excuse yourself or apologize." Sakura muttered while fixing her attire. "Not that I would expect Gaara of the Sand to have any manners to begin with, let alone admit that he was wrong." She added under her breath, in case he had some supernatural hearing that she didn't know about. When she was satisfied with how well she looked given the circumstances, she continued to the small udon stand that she loved across town so she could have lunch before her meeting with the godaime at three.

_Perhaps I should have said that I was sorry back there... no no, that would do no good, then she would know it was my fault..._

At two fifty-five in the afternoon, Gaara entered the building where the godaime's office was. He headed through the corridors to his destination when he was interrupted.

"Fancy meeting you here. If this was the only place that you had to be this afternoon, you were sure in a hurry." The venom in the voice did not betray the owner.

"I got a message this morning that I was to be in the godaime's office at three, I wanted to get some running in before I arrived here--" said the red-head, emotionlessly, before he was cut off by Sakura.

"Three? But I received notice to be in the godaime's office then. It was probably just a oversight by whoever it was that sent the messages. In any case, with attitudes and behavior like yours, " Sakura felt inner Sakura just barging out and hoped that wouldn't cause her more problems in the near or distant future with her lifespan, "it is no wonder you haven't been 'romantically' linked or attached to anyone. I'd feel real sorry for the person that was. Poor girl, I'd hate to be her!" Sakura emphasized the last part and in her mind added 'Or poor guy...' Sakura went forward at a quicker pace to the godaime's office.

Gaara did not move from the spot he had stopped at after Sakura interrupted him. He tried to move but for some reason his legs weren't responding the way that he had wanted them to. She had actually told him what he feared the most. That he would be alone as long as he was the way he was, even further, that she would hate to be the person that was. That tore into a part of him that he couldn't grasp a hold of and his legs gave out and he found himself on the floor, glad that no one else was in the vicinity.

_Sakura pities the 'poor girl' that would be by my side and would hate to be that person. _That pain that he couldn't grasp was burning into him, as it had burned into him when he was a child, leaving a scar on his heart. **_What is this feeling!?_** **_Why can't I stop it!?_** Gaara screamed inside himself until the waves of pain finished crashing to shore, before he could stand again.

Sakura was waved into the godaime's office at two fifty-eight. "Ah! Sakura. We just have to wait for another person before I start. Did you see Gaara on your way in at all?" Tsunade asked in a way that wondered if she had encountered him given the aura that she was emitting.

"Yes I did, he should be here really soon, he was only just behind me. Maybe he stopped off in the bathroom or something." Sakura wondered what was taking Gaara so long to arrive.

"Now I am late for the meeting. Ah well, she can go first anyway, it's not like I have plans that need attention anytime soon." _The last time I felt that way was when my uncle told me he wanted to assassinate me and asked me to die, the night I marked myself._

When Gaara reached the godaime's office, he stood outside the doors for a long enough time for one of the guards to take interest as to why he was standing outside and not in the office.

"What are you doing standing out here? You were expected at three."

"There must have been a mistake, Haruno-san had an appointment at three."

"There was no mistake, you both had an appointment for three." Gaara looked surprised for a moment while taking in this information. "You had better get in there before you keep two women waiting any longer." The guard motioned towards the door to the hokage's office.

"I see." Gaara acknowledged the guard's advice and entered the office with narrowed eyes, a physical reminder of the torment he was put through. When he saw his tormentor however, the expression on his face softened for a moment and then returned to his usual expressionless state. The godaime took silent notice of this before proceeding.

"What time is it Gaara?"

Looking at his watch he replied, "Five after."

Not wanting the press the matter of Gaara's truancy, Tsunade brought about the reason for the meeting. "As you know, most of the jounin are on missions or have other important duties that must be tended to here in Konoha."

"Yes."

Gaara nodded his head.

"Well, a new mission came into the office this morning and needless to say, I need you two to complete it. The-"

"Wait, you want me to work with Gaara? You have to be kidding? He has never been paired with someone like me before. How-" Sakura was then cut off mid-sentence as she had cut off the godaime.

"AS I was saying," Tsunade cleared her throat, "we received a request from an heiress in Fire Country for two escorts, one male, one female, to act as bodyguards to her and her fiancée who are getting married this Friday and then going on a...," wondering if she should finish her sentence, Tsunade paused gauging the reactions from the two poles in front of her.

"A honeymoon, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura finished Tsunade's for her, saving the godaime from having report that, which was not as far of a stretch as the continuance.

"Yes, their honeymoon. As I was saying, the heiress, one Takashima-hime, has requested two escorts for the entire ordeal, wedding, honeymoon, final wedding preparations, and so on and so forth. Given the threats that our heiress has received regarding her wedding and honeymoon if there is to be one, this will be a B-rank mission. Also, given the time requirement, you two are the best male-female pair that this village could come up with. I am expecting Takashima-hime here at five. That gives you two about an hour to pack appropriately and return here by quarter of five, so we can go over a few more details before she arrives. Am I clear?" Tsunade leaned back in her chair and looked at the two faces in front of her. Sakura looked shocked and worried, and Gaara, well, his expressionless face that he put on when he entered hadn't changed at all.

Secretly Tsunade hoped that pairing these two on a mission would help them out, Sakura with getting a break from worrying about Sasuke and Gaara with his behavior.

"I understand Tsunade-sama that you want us to pack appropriately for the week ahead and the week after for a 'vacation' of sorts?" Sakura mumbled the last part.

"Yes. You are correct in your assumption. I will also let you know that the honeymoon will take place on an island. There will be a beach. That is all. See you in an hour." Tsunade started fumbling with papers on her desk and writing down a few notes. When she looked up wondering why neither of the two had left yet, the headed for the door. Tsunade sighed.

"I can't believe I got assigned to this mission!" Sakura exclaimed with happiness in her voice that made it seem as if she had forgotten her partner in this mission was Gaara. "I haven't been to the beach in so long!" She began to put more skip in her step.

"Don't you think you are too happy considering you are going to be on this mission with me?" Sakura stopped in her folly.

Turning back towards the expressionless Gaara, "We will be working separately from the sound of it, and I am not going to let you ruin a paid vacation."

"You seem to be misunderstanding something. This is a mission, not a vacation. And we are working together." Gaara lost his expressionless countenance to be more forceful. Sakura was obviously taken aback.

"I think you are misunderstanding something. This is a mission with a vacation. I will be accompanying Takashima-hime and you will be accompanying the groom. Hence, we are not working together." Sakura puffed out her chest as a motion of her validity.

Gaara thought for a moment. "And when they are married and together?"

"Separate rooms, separate areas of surveillance, etc." Sakura flipped her hair.

"Let's hope for that then." Gaara disappeared in a storm of sand.

"Yeah... let's." Sakura left the building and headed for home aided by chakra so she could have more time to pack. She did notice however, that there was less spring in her step.

Back in his apartment, Gaara first looked for his duffel bag so he could start packing the necessities; toiletries, changes of clothes, weapons.

Meanwhile, Sakura was looking for her largest travel bag. When she found it and laid it out open on the bed, she started packing everything that she could possibly need, lots of undergarments, clothes for all occasions, light reading material, makeup and toiletries. She zipped her bag up and almost left the room before she realized that she had forgotten her weapons.

Gaara had arrived at Tsunade's office before Sakura had this time around. Standing in the office, with his medium sized-bag at his feet he awaited the rest of the details. Tsunade had called him in to wait in her office.

"Are you looking forward to this mission?"

"I rarely look forward to missions. I don't know why someone with a list of A and S rank missions under them is assigned to a B rank mission that seems to be a joke."

"I can't say that I completely understand where you are coming from, but there is a shortage of applicable shinobi to choose from right now. I also wanted to give you a change of pace from your normal routine."

"And you think that I need or want a change to my routine? I am satisfied with how things are for me. I don't need a B-rank mission to alter that."

"Satisfied, are you?"

"Yes." Gaara stared at Tsunade without blinking.

"But are you happy?" Rather than smirk, the godaime opted to remain without that apparent twist on her face.

"Happiness is inconsequential. I need not anything more than I already have."

"Gaara, if I may speak bluntly," he nodded for her to continue, "your face tells me that you are lying to me, at the very least, and more importantly, you are lying to yourself. That answer may have suited you last year and years before that. But you are a human. No matter how... different you may be from the average person, or shinobi, you are human, with wants and needs that can only be satisfied with another human. Just don't think that things can't change. I suggest that you take this time to reacquaint yourself with life, and living, with people. I assigned this mission to you because it will challenge you."

"Ah, so that is the reason. And why pair me with Haruno?" Gaara's brow raised.

"Well, she needs a vacation. Waiting for Sasuke has taken its toll, and I don't think you are the kind of man that would take advantage of her situation on a mission such as this one." Tsunade stated as a matter-of-fact.

With much noise, the door to the godaime's office opened and Sakura came in slightly out of breath.

"Sakura, isn't stealth one of the core principles of this line of work? Why on earth are you making so much noise?" The old woman yelled at the younger woman, but still laughed at the scene.

"I had to rush here to be on time, packing, etc. took longer... than...," Sakura inhaled, "...expected."

Both Gaara's and Tsunade's eyes went to Sakura's luggage of 2 large bags and 2 small bags. "Haruno- why are you bringing all of that? This is a mission-"

"Not a vacation, yada yada, I got it already, Gaara. But it is a mission that will span about two weeks and I don't want to be unprepared-"

"What do you need to be prepared? It isn't going to snow, it won't rain everyday-" Gaara was getting irritated at Sakura's 'apparent' lack of professionalism in the shinobi-field.

"I am not going to nitpick about your packing, so don't bother me with your complaints. I won't hear any of it." Sakura stood her place.

"There is nothing to nitpick about with my packing." He stated clearly and pointed to the duffel at his feet. Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"Hmph."

KNOCK KNOCK – "Yes?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama, Takashima-hime is here to see you." Tsunade looked at the clock behind the two people in front of her. _Right on time_. "Yes please send her in." She gave a look of warning to her two underlings that they had better behave before putting on a welcoming smile for her guest.

"Hello, Hokage-sama. I am glad to see that you look well." Takashima spoke evenly with a ladies' tone.

"Yes, I am fine. I am glad to know that you arrived here without incident." Takashima nodded. Motioning towards each of the other shinobi in the office, "This is Gaara," Gaara nodded in the client's direction, "and this is Sakura."

"Greetings, Takashima-hime." Sakura bowed slightly.

"My! What pretty hair! Has anyone ever told you that your name fits you perfectly? Oh, never mind, I am sure people tell that to you all the time. And, I might add, since you two are going to be working with me for these weeks, you can address me as Hikari. That will also be better for your cover."

"Cover?"

"Yes, Sakura, as escorts for Takashima-"

"Please, Hokage-sama, address me as Hikari as well. Takashima-hime, however appropriate, doesn't agree with me."

"Very well, as I was saying, as escorts for Hikari and her fiancée, you will have a cover. Would you like to explain further, Hikari?" Tsunade stressed her last word.

"Sakura, you will be acting as a very close friend of mine from out of town. Gaara will be doing the same for my fiancée Shin. At the wedding, you two will be in the wedding party. We are going to have a western-type of wedding, so Sakura you will be a bridesmaid and Gaara you will be a groomsman. In order to accompany us through our honeymoon, you will have the suite next to ours to share, and will be posing as a newly formed couple as a result of the wedding. Are there any questions?" Hikari smiled at the two. Gaara stared wide-eyed at the godaime who was trying to keep a straight face herself and Sakura looked horrified and crestfallen. "Is there a problem?" Hikari looked towards Tsunade questioningly.

"No, there is no problem. My initial report of the mission to them must have given them a different impression of their duties while accompanying you." She gave quick glances to her shinobi telling them to pull themselves together.

"Now, I will assume that Gaara has not packed a formal suit given his luggage. Sakura, have you brought any formal dresses?"

"Hikari, I have packed dresses, but not formal dresses. I do not own any formal wear other than my kimono."

"I do not own any formal wear whatsoever," the unamused interjected, "but a simple henge will do." Poof! Gaara was now clothed in a suit.

"My! What style you have! How long does that last?" Hikari asked him excitedly. Sakura just stared at Gaara trying to accept how good he looked right then.

"A henge lasts as long as I want it to last, assuming that I am concentrating on keeping it active." Poof! His attire returned to being his ordinary clothing of black pants and a black t-shirt.

"Gaara, that is a nice idea, but unfortunately, that will not work in this situation. I do not want your cover accidentally blown." Tsunade sighed. "I suppose we will have to come up with something for both of you."

"If I may interject?"

"Certainly, Hikari."

"You three needent worry about formal wear. Sakura will be getting her dress with me this week, and Gaara will get a suit with Shin. We will pay the costs, of course."

"Well then, that problem is solved. Do either of you have any questions before you leave?" Tsunade leaned forward, elbows on her desk, head resting on her palms.

"No." The two answered in unison and then looked at each other surprised. Hikari laughed.

"Well then, let's let the fun begin, shall we? I brought horses for us to travel with, we aren't going too far, but I rather detest traveling by foot, and traveling by anything other than horses arouses too much attention." Hikari headed towards the door.

"Okay." Sakura gathered her belongings. Gaara already headed towards the door.

"Hikari, Sakura and Gaara – have a safe trip." Thanks were said before they all left.

* * *

15 pages.

Like? Dislike? It's hard to have a romance story with Gaara as the main character without going a little 'OOC', but the 'present' of this story takes place six years after the present story in the manga, so this very well may be behavior that is in his character. People can change, right? Who'd've thought that Sand would have aided Leaf in the mission to take Sasuke back? That Gaara would help Lee!?

I also decided to do a Sasuke/Sakura pairing in this fic as well. The Sakuga pairing is great (imo) but, I have a soft spot for Sasuke and want him to get it on… in some way or another...

**Please review**!!!

Thanks for reading!

AstroVixen


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